Finding Miniatures - the Hunt is on!

A miniature Victorian shell arrangement 

Part of the fascination of this dolls house hobby is, for me, always being on the lookout for miniatures. I just love the hunt! Second-hand stores, garage sales, $2 shops, antique fairs, even the kids' toybox are all likely places to find a miniature that would be perfect for my latest project. Not forgetting dolls house and miniatures shops and those wonderful catalogues to browse through for hours.
    I never throw anything away without thinking, 'Mmm, what mini can I make out of that?' Things like a ping-pong ball for a lightshade, an old blouse for a tablecloth, wrapping paper for dolls house wallpaper, tissue paper to make flowers, or a sterling silver charm from a bracelet used as an ornament in 1:12 scale. No trip to the beach is complete without a hunt for the tiniest of tiny shells to make a Victorian display to go under a glass dome, or tufts of dried seaweed or lichen to make a bush in a dolls house garden. I think miniaturists are dedicated to re-using and recycling.
    Of course, all these found items, as well as materials to make minis, need a storage place, and I think miniaturists need more storage places than most people! Because the things we hoard, that we might just need some day, seem to breed in their cupboards till the shelves are over-flowing. Whoever thought making miniatures meant 'small'!